CPENT Network And Perimeter Exploitation Practice Question
A penetration tester needs to perform a stealthy TCP SYN scan against a target network using Nmap to avoid triggering simple stateless packet filters. Which command-line flag should be used?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
-sS
The -sS flag tells Nmap to perform a TCP SYN scan, which sends a SYN packet and waits for a SYN-ACK response, never completing the full 3-way handshake, thus remaining stealthier.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
-sA
Why it's wrong here
-sA performs a TCP ACK scan used to map out firewall rulesets.
- ✗
-sU
Why it's wrong here
-sU is used for UDP port scanning, not TCP.
- ✗
-sT
Why it's wrong here
-sT performs a full TCP connect scan which completes the 3-way handshake and is easily logged by target systems.
- ✓
-sS
Why this is correct
-sS executes a stealthy TCP SYN scan.
Visual reference
About these practice questions
This CPENT question is part of Courseiva's 274-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official EC-Council exam blueprint
This CPENT practice question is part of Courseiva's free EC-Council certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CPENT exam.